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Suggestions 

For County Fairs and 

Field Days 

Prepared for the State Department of 
Education by W. K. Tate, State Su- 
pervisor of Elementary Rural Schools 




<:/5 >^^^^ 



Issued by J. E. Swearingen, 
State Supt. of Education, 1913 



D. of D. 
APR 22 1918 



The Meaning of the Movement. 

No teacher or pupil can do his best work in isolation. The 
hardest class to teach satisfactorily is that composed of one pnpil. 
One of the greatest advantages which come from the consolidated 
school arises from the emulation created by the larger classes. 

A school or school system which does not occasionally have an 
opportunity to compare itself with other schools or school systems 
misses one of the great natural incentives to growth and perfec- 
tion. Under the stress of the emulation caused by friendly com- 
petition, new ideas are quickly assimilated by teachers and trus- 
tees, and new ambitions are aroused in the pupils. 

The teacher who works in the small isolated country school 
sometimes looks upon her task as insignificant; it assumes a new 
dignity and importance when she has a chance "to see it in its re- 
lations to the larger county system. The school spirit of the boy 
from the Pine Grove or the Long Branch School takes on a dif- 
ferent meaning after he has marched behind his school banner in 
the County Field Day parade and has seen the representative of 
his school take honors in the spelling match or in the 100-yard 
dash. 

The trustee or patron of the backward school may be ignorant 
of its deficiencies or may view its condition with complacency 
while it lives a hermit life, but he is usually eager for improve- 
ment when his school must stand up in line and be compared with 
his neighbor's. 

Such reasons as these induced twenty-five counties in South 
Carolina to organize County School Fairs or Field Days, or both 
of these county enterprises, last year. This circular is presented 
in response to numerous suggestions which have come from coun- 
ties which have not yet undertaken this phase of school work. 

THE COUNTY SCHOOL FAIE AND THE COUNTY 
SCHOOL FIELD DAY. 

The county competitive school activities naturally divide them- 
selves into the two groups which we have designated as the 
County School Fair and the County School Field Day. In small 
counties, and at the beginning of the effort in larger counties, 
these two may be combined into one, but there are many reasons 
which make it advisable to hold the two events on different dates. 



It is very easy to plan too large a program for execution on one 
day where a large number of schools take part. Since the School 
Fair is directly related to the harvest, it will be easiest to hold 
it at a convenient time between the opening of school and Thanks- 
giving Day. In counties where there is a well-conducted County 
Fair, the School Fair may well make up a section of this larger 
county enterprise. This plan will emphasize Educational Day 
as an occasion for the instruction of all the people in school 
affairs. The School Fair should especially set the standard and 
furnish the incentive for the agricultural and manual activities of 
the opening school year. 

The Fair and the Field Day will have common elements, but 
the former will consist largely of work done leisurely in the regu- 
lar exercises of the school, or in the home under the inspiration 
and supervision of the teachers and school officials, while the Field 
Day will be made up largely of active contests between the pupils 
themselves. 

The Fair will, of course, include the exhibits of the Boys' Corn 
Club and the Girls' Canning Club, cooking, sewing, manual train- 
ing, and drawing, as well as specimens of work in composition, 
writing, arithmetic, map drawing, and other school subjects. The 
exercises of the day should include a procession or parade of the 
children by schools, demonstrations in corn judging, canning, 
cooking, and home appliances. A "Better Baby" contest may well 
have a place on the program. 

The best time for the Field Day is in the spring near the close 
of the school year. Its object is to awaken educational enthusiasm 
and to exhibit school activities which can not be represented by 
material products. In a measure it sums up the countj'^ co-oper- 
ative efforts of the year, and exhibits the pupils themselves in 
action. A special effort will be made to have present at the Field 
Day exercises every pupil in the county. The schools, each with 
its own colors, badge, or banner, will form in procession, and 
march around the fair ground, the court house, or through thfe 
principal street of the town. The larger schools will be encour- 
aged to devise attractive pageants or floats, or to represent his- 
torical or allegorical scenes as a part of the parade. The proces- 
sion will move to the court house or the assembly hall, where the 
exercises of the day will be held. The work will have been care- 
fully planned. After a short welcome address and the county 
school songs, in which all will participate, the children will enter 



on the literary contests of the day. While the contests in declama- 
tion for the boys and girls of the elementary school are taking 
place in the principal auditorium, the contests arranged for the 
other school subjects will be conducted in auxiliary or adjacent 
rooms of the building. If there is time, a county spelling match 
may form a part of the general program. At noon an intermission 
of two hours will be given, and a basket dinner will be spread on 
tables arranged for the purpose. After dinner the assembly will 
proceed to the field where the athletic sports and contests will be 
held. At the conclusion of these, the judges will announce their 
decision on all the contests of the day, and simple prizes and blue 
ribbons will be awarded to the winners. If this program is well 
planned, it will require most of the day for its execution. 

If the Field Day and Fair are combined into one, the exhibits 
should be placed where they could be examined and studied at 
leisure without disturbing the contests. 

PEEPAEATION FOR THE FAIR AND FIELD DAY. 

In order for the Fair and Field Day to produce the best results 
they should serve throughout the school year as a constant incent- 
ive to good work. A feverish anxiety and hasty preparation 
crowded into a few days or weeks previous to the occasion is 
misdirected energy. The teacher should have a special drawer or 
receptacle for the School Fair material, and pupils should be 
encouraged to make the regular work of the year good enough to 
find a place in the exhibit. The athletic events of the Field Day 
should serve as a constant stimulus to wholesome exercise and 
healthy play thoughout the session. The writer recently visited a 
school in which the boys had devised a simple apparatus for prac- 
tice in the running high jump and the pole vault. Throughout 
the year they were practicing for these and other events in the 
Field Day. It is a sign of poor planning if the teacher finds it 
necessary to neglect any of her other school work in order to make 
hurried special preparation. 

A DEFINITE PROGRAM. . 

In order to conduct a successful Fair or Field Day it is abso- 
lutely necessary that the nature of the contest should be abso- 
lutely clear and definite in the mind of the teacher and children. 

There are many school exercises which can not well be made 



the basis of a contest. The announcement of a prize to be given 
to the best pupil in arithmetic in a fifth grade would not be suf- 
ficiently definite to secure special preparation or satisfactory re- 
sults. On the other hand, if it is announced that a paper contain- 
ing two exercises in addition, two exercises in multiplication, and 
one exercise in long division, designed to test quickness and ac- 
curacy in these simple fundamental operations, will be given to 
fifth grade contestants, and that a prize will be awarded to the 
one who first hands in a perfect paper, the teacher would have 
a definite basis for drill. 

In like manner it would be inadvisable to advertise "a contest 
in sixth grade geography," while a contest to see who could draw 
the best outline map of South Carolina in ten minutes would be 
definite enough to attract entries and secure preparation. This 
definiteness should characterize every event or contest. The con- 
tests should be such that they may be finished in thirty minutes at 
most. No child wishes to be tied up in a lengthy written examina- 
tion on Field Day. 

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF EVENTS. 

Not only should the nature of the contests be perfectly definite, 
but these should be announced as early as possible in the year, so 
that they may serve as guides or incentives to pupils and teacher 
throughout the school session. 

PRELIMINARY CONTESTS. 

Preliminary contests, conducted at intervals throughout the 
year in the individual school or grade, should always constitute a 
part of the Field Day scheme. 

The chief value of the county spelling match, for example, is 
found in the fact that every class in the county will be stimulated 
to effort and interest by means of the class matches to determine 
the county contestant best fitted to bring back the honors to his 
school. The final preliminary contests should be held during the 
week previous to the Field Day. 

For the Fair all good work should be entered, but the pupils 
should be encouraged to strive for the best which can be produced, 
and work which does not reach a high standard should gradually 
be eliminated. 



ORGANIZATION FOR A FAIR AND FIELD DAY. 

For the complete success of a Fair or Field Day it will be neces- 
sary to organize a representative- committee which will enlist the 
enthusiasm of all forces, which will plan wisely, and act energet- 
ically. This committee should include the County Superintendent 
of Education, the Rural School Supervising Teacher, the County 
Farm Demonstration Agent, the Canning Club Organizer, the 
President and Executive Committee of the County Teachers' As- 
sociation, the Chairman of the County Trustees' Association, the 
President and Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and other 
business organizations of the county seat, and such other teachers 
and friends as are necessary to do the work. All these will nat- 
urally look to the County Superintendent of Education for execu- 
tive leadership. 

From this general committee and from other teachers and work- 
ers of the county, sub-committees will be formed to look after 
divisions of the work, such as Finance, Prizes, Judges, Exhibits, 
Athletic Contests, Literary Contests, Parade, and Dinner. It will 
be a mistake for one person to try to do all the work. Division of 
labor is the only way to create a wider interest and develop new 
leadership. It will be necessary, however, for the chairman of the 
Executive committees to keep closely in touch with all the sub- 
committees. 

JUDGES. 

The Committee on Judges should secure the services of persons 
competent to judge the various exhibits and events. The farm 
demonstration workers, and the Clemson College Extension Divi- 
sion will frequently be able to give expert assistance in judging 
the agricultural exhibits. The extension department of Winthrop 
College will, perhaps, furnish a judge for the sewing, cooking, 
and fancy work. The University of South Carolina, Clemson Col- 
lege, and other colleges of the State have sometimes given the 
services of their athletic departments for managing and judging 
the athletic events. In every county there are men and women 
who are qualified to act as judges at the Fair or Field Day. 

PRIZES. 

Manj^ of the County Fairs and Field Days which have been 
held during the last four years have offered an elaborate list of 



8 

prizes. The merchants and business men of the county seat have 
usually been generous in this respect. Money prizes should not be 
given for athletic events, as under the rules of the athletic associ- 
ations of the United States the acceptance of money prizes classes 
the recipient as a professional, and prevents his entering amateur 
contests. Costly prizes are not necessary to success. The winners 
in the famous Greek games were rewarded only with a crown of 
laurel or a chaplet of oak leaves. A simple prize or badge indi- 
cating first or second honor, and publication of the list of winners 
in the county newspapers will be just as effective as a costly re- 
ward. General participation may be secured by giving a simple, 
inexpensive button, with an appropriate design and motto, to 
every one who takes part in the Fair or Field Day. It should 
continually be borne in mind that the object of the movement is 
not to bring a few children into great prominence, but to encour- 
age general effort, and to lift the average work of the county to a 
higher level. 

HELPS. 

The University of South Carolina and Clemson College issue 
special bulletins giving instructions and suggestions for directing 
games and field sports. These bulletins may be obtained by ad- 
dressing a letter to the President of these colleges. The Depart- 
ment of Public Instruction of Virginia has issued a pamphlet 
entitled "County School Fairs in Virginia," which is specially 
suggestive as to material for the School Fair and as to methods 
of judging exhibits. 



Suggested Events for County Field Day. 

LiTEKARY Work. 

In the Country Schools it will be difficult to class contestants by 
grade. It will, perhaps, be found best to divide the contestants 
into three classes: Class C, including pupils of the primary de- 
partment between the age of 7 and 10; Class B, the intermediate 
department, including children between the age of 11 and 14; 
Class A, the high school department, including pupils over 14. 
In some subjects it will, perhaps, be advisable to make closer 
divisions than this, but in others the whole group may enter, and 
judges take age and grade into consideration in awarding the 
honors. 

Composition. 

The executive committee should announce beforehand a list of 
composition subjects for Class A, Class B, and Class C. These 
lists should contain four or five subjects each. On the day of the 
contest, when contestants have assembled, one subject will be an- 
nounced for each class, and contestants will be given not more 
than 30 minutes in which to hand in the papers to the judges. 
The subject selected should appeal to the interest of the pupil, 
and should be related to the life of the county. The following 
are suggested : 

1 — How We Improved Our Schoolhouse. 

2 — The Life History of a Cotton Handkerchief. 

3— The Story of the Butterfly. 

4 — The Housefly and Its Dangers. 

5 — Why I Like to Live in South Carolina. 

6 — How I Made My Garden. 

7 — How to Make a Loaf of Bread. 

8— Advantages to a Community Which Come from Home 
Ownership. 

9— What a Boy Can Do to Make Home Attractive. 
10— What a Girl Can Do to Make Home Attractive. 
11 — How Nature Prepares for Winter. 
12 — The Effect of Legumes on the Soil. 
13 — Labor Saving Conveniences in Country Homes. 



10 

14 — How I Spent My Summer. 

15 — A Letter (general nature to be described by judges). 

Drawing. 

The drawing from nature of flowers, plants, or simple objects 
and geometrical forms arranged by judges. Time limit — 30 
minutes. 

Writing. 

The contest in writing should consist in the copying on uni- 
form paper a stanza of verse or a sentence of prose, selected by 
judges. A selection should be made for each class of contestants. 
Time limit — 20 minutes. 

Map Drawing. 

Class C : ' 

1 — Outline map of South Carolina, showing parallels and 

meridians and location of principal rivers. 

2. — Map of county, showing the location of the county seat, the 

railroads, and the school of the contestant. 

Class B : 

1 — Outline map of the United States, showing meridians and 
parallels, and location of the principal rivers and mountain sys- 
tems. 

2 — Outline map of. South America, showing parallels and 
meridians, principal rivers, mountain systems and the location of 
the principal cities. 

Class A : 

1 — Map of South Carolina, showing meridians and parallels, 
rivers, railroads, principal cities. 

2 — Outline map of North America, showing parallels and 
meridians, principal rivers, mountain systems and the location 
of the principal cities. Time limit for each — 30 minutes. 

Spelling. 

Grade Contests arranged between pupils selected by the schools 
in preliminary contests. The ground to be covered by each grade 
should be definitely announced beforehand. 



11 



ArithmefiG. 



In the Fair or on the Field Day the contest in arithmetic may 
best take the form of an exercise to test accuracy and speed in 
fundamental operations. This is best done by preparing the test 
beforehand, duplicating it on uniform sheets of paper, which, in 
the contest, are placed face downward on the desks of the contest- 
ants. Each contestant first writes his name, his grade, and the 
name of his school on the back of the paper, and at a given signal 
turns it over and begins his work. When work is completed, the 
papers are handed to the judges, and numbered in order of receipt. 
The first contestant who hands in a correct paper wins the prize. 
It is readily seen that this contest is designed to stimulate both 
speed and accuracy. 

Class C: 

Lower Section. Test on the 45 combinations which make up 
the addition table. The combinations arranged for addition al- 
ready appear on the paper, and pupils must merely write the 
sums. 

Upper Section. An exercise in same form as above, but com- 
bining addition and multiplication. The combinations should be 
placed in irregular order. 

Class B : 

1 — A test paper containing three exercises in addition, each 
consisting of five or six numbers running up to tens of thousands, 
one exercise in multiplication and one exercise in long division. 

2 — ^A test paper containing one exercise in addition, one in mul- 
tiplication, one in division, and two or three in fractional opera- 
tions. 

Class A : 

Test paper, including a long column for addition, composed 
of numbers of three or four places, addition of columns, including 
smaller fractions, multiplication and division of decimals. 

If the teachers in the school would take up this drill work a 
few minutes each day, with a view to developing speed and accu- 
racy in their pupils, the judges will be surprised at the short time 
required for these tests. 



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Reading, 

The reading contest should be arranged by grades, and should 
consist in the reading at sight of selection made by the judges. 

Declamation and Recitation. 

One boy and one girl should be allowed to enter this contest 
from the elementary department of each school, and a boy and a 
girl from each high school. Four prizes will be offered, one for 
boys in the elementary grades, one for girls in the elementary 
grades, one for boys in high schools, and one for girls in high 
schools. The contest in elementary declamation is usually held 
before the assembly in the auditorium. Many counties hold the 
High School Declamation Contest on the evening preceding Field 
Day. 

ATHLETIC EVENTS. 

The following Athletic Events are suggested for boys : 

50- Yard Dash for classes A, B, and C. 

100- Yard Dash for classes A, B, and C. 

220- Yard Dash. 

440- Yard Dash. 

1-Mile Relay Race. 

Potato Race. 

Shoe Race. 

Three-legged Race. 

Running High Jump. 

Standing High Jump. 

Running Broad Jump. 

Standing Broad Jump. 

Pole Vaulting. 

Putting the Shot. 

Throwing Baseball. 

Minor races and athletic contests should be arranged for the 
smaller boys and girls. Suggestions for training for these events 
are found in the bulletins issued by the University of South Caro- 
lina and by Clemson College. 



13 

SCHOOL CONTESTS. 

These should be decided by County Superintendent, County 
Eural Supervising Teacher, Tomato Club Organizer and Farm 
Demonstration Agent, and announced at Field Day. 

Best School Garden. 

Best Demonstration Plot. 

Best School Museum. 

Greatest Improvement during the year as indicated by score 
card. 

SCHOOL FAIR' EXHIBITS. 

The School Fair should exhibit work done by the pupils during 
the year in the school or at home under the inspiration and su- 
pervision of the school. 

No article may be exhibited for premium for more than one 
year. 

The continued success of the Fair demands that the articles 
submitted shall actually be made by the pupils and not by their 
parents or friends. The teachers and the Fair Committee should 
use every precaution to secure honest entries. The following entry 
sheet used in Virginia is suggested : 

ENTRY SHEET. 

County School Fair Prize Competition Department. 

Department Glass 

To the County School Fair Committee: 

I desire to enter the accompanying article for the prize offered 

the public school pupils of this county for the best 

in Class 

I certify, upon my honor, that I have received no assistance 

in the preparation of this except so far as expressly 

permitted by the printed rules given in the County 

School Fair Catalogue of 191 — , and that it has never been exhib- 
ited at a former County School Fair. 

(Signature) 

(Age) 

(School) 

(School District) 

Teacher 



14 



I hereby certify that , whose name is signed to the 

Entry Sheet above, was a pupil in regular standing in 

District, of which I am teacher, during the school term of 



; is years of age ; and that the which he 

is entering was prepared, to the best of my knowledge, by him 
without assistance, except so far as expressly permitted by the 
printed rules given in the County School Fair Cata- 
logue of 191 — , and that it has never been exhibited at a former 

County School Fair. 

Given under my hand this day of — , 191 — . 

Teacher of 

School 

It will be noted that this sheet presupposes a catalogue or list 
describing the class and conditions of entry. 



15 



Suggestions for Fair Exhibits. 

AGRICULTURE. 

1 — Largest yield of Corn per acre. 

(Subject to Corn Club Conditions.) 

2 — Largest Net Profit on acre of corn. 
(Based on detailed account of receipts and expenses. Rent of 

land placed at $4.00, labor of boy 10c. per hour, labor of horse 

5c. per hour.) 

3 — Best ten ears of corn. 

4 — Best single ear of corn. 

5 — Best stalk of corn with two or more ears. 

6 — Best written report on methods of growing corn. 

7 — Best yield of tomatoes from 1-10 of an acre. 

8 — Best display of Home Garden products. 

9 — Best display of canned goods by single pupil. 
10 — Best display of canned products by school. 
11 — Best Cotton stalk raised by pupil. 
12 — Best description of a school experiment in crop rotation. 

FLOWERS. 

1 — Potted Ferns. 

2 — Potted Chrysanthemums. 

3 — Dozen Cut Chrysanthemums. 

4 — Potted Geranium. 

5 — Pressed and labeled collection of Native Wild Flowers. 

HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE. 

Pound of Butter. 
School Lunch. 

Breads. 

1 — Loaf of yeast bread. 

2 — Loaf of salt rising bread. 

3 — Half dozen soda biscuits. 

4 — Half dozen baking powder biscuits. 

5 — Half dozen beaten biscuits. 



16 



6 — Corn pone. 

7 — Half dozen corn muffins. 

Cakes. 

1 — Best cup cake. 
2 — Best cookies. 
3 — Sponge cake. 
4 — Sugar cake. 
5 — Ginger bread. 

Jellies. 

1 — Blackberry jelly. 
2— Plum. 
3 — Apple. 
4 — Grape. 
5 — Quince. 

Preserves. 

Pears. Strawberries. 

Peaches. Figs. 

Cherries. Plums. 

Pickles. 

1 — Cucumber, sweet. 

2 — Cucumber, sour. 

3 — Watermelon. 

4 — Peach. 

5 — Tomato. 

6— Mixed. 

7 — Chow-Chow. 

8 — Tomato ketchup. 

Pies. 

Apple. 
Peach. 
Cherry. 
Potato. 



17 



Meats. 

Fried chicken. 
Boiled ham. 
Eoast beef. 

DOMESTIC ART. 

1 — Rag rug. 

2 — Three button holes on cotton cloth. 

3 — Darned hose. 

4— Patch. 

5 — House work- apron. 

6 — Dressed doll. 

7 — Hemstitched handkerchief. 

8 — Patchwork bed quilt. 

9 — Yard of crocheted lace. 
10 — Embroidered center piece. 
11 — Drawn-work bureau scarf. 
12 — Machine-made shirt waist. 
13 — Hand-made corset cover, 
14 — Embroidered belt and collar. 
15 — Six hand-embroidered table napkins. 

MANUAL TRAINING. 

1 — Axe handle. 

2 — Hammer handle. 

3 — Cotton basket. 

4 — Split feeding basket. 

5 — Willow lunch basket. 

6 — Pine straw work basket. 

7 — Shuck door mat. 

8 — Picture frame. 

9 — Plain Mission book shelves. 
10 — Kitchen table. 
11 — Ironing board. 
12 — Dish drain board. 
13 — Coat hanger. 
14 — Bread box. 
15 — Bracket shelf. 
16 — Short broom. 
17 — Long broom. 



18 

18 — Book rack. 
19 — Bookcase. 
20— Doll house. 

Other School Work: 

1 — Maps drawn during year. 

2 — Copy books. 

3 — Composition books. 

4 — Illustrated compositions. 

5 — Arithmetic note books. • 

6 — Historical maps. 

7 — Farm arithmetic papers. 

EXPENSES. 

The stimulation which the Fair and Field Day will give to the 
school work of the county will justify an appropriation from the 
County Board Fund for printing and publicity. The County 
Fair officials or the business men of the county seat will usually 
look after all local expenses connected with the installation. 

COMMUNITY FAIRS. 

The collection of the exhibits for the County School Fair should 
offer an excellent opportunity and occasion for a School District 
Fair and Community Day. Several communities have already 
experimented in this direction with excellent results. When 
Community, County, and State work together to a common end 
we will have a magnificent School Exhibit at the State Fair. 



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